Digital Assets Factory recently released a video where they discussed some major updates that began unrolling from Google in Fall of 2016. There were three major updates outlined, which included:

1. Changes in mobile.

2. Changes in HTML elements.

3. Changes in ranking strategies.

Each of these updates was to be discussed further in a separate video. The first of these videos has recently been released and it covers the changes in mobile that will take place due to the Google updates in Fall of 2016. So what are these changes and how can you adjust your site to accommodate for them?

Mobilegeddon Returns For More.

You may remember hearing this term a little over a year ago. Mobilegeddon was the name that webmasters gave to an algorithm update that occurred in April of 2015. It was originally thought that it would have a huge impact on sites everywhere and their current standing in Google. The point of the update was to give search priority to websites that are considered “mobile friendly”. However, the update only impacts searches made via a mobile device.

Mobilegeddon made a huge impact that year. Some studies have shown that nearly 25 percent of websites that aren’t mobile-friendly took a drop in the rankings. In reality, that percentage could have been a lot higher. It seems that Google realized many sites were still not ready so they took it easy on the consequences.

Since then, they have shared articles, tools, and other sources of information that people can use to get their websites up-to-par in terms of mobile friendliness. And it seems that in Fall of 2016 they began unraveling some new updates that will increase the severity of Mobilegeddon. Simply put, if you haven’t already taken the time to make your website mobile friendly, then you need to start now.

Why Is It Important?

Some might wonder if taking this warning is really that important. After all, it doesn’t impact the results that are displayed on desktops or laptops. Those searching with mobile devices are in a sense shown a separate search engine from Google that ranks sites differently. Is it that important to be ranked highly on mobile devices if you are already doing so well on the desktop?

It’s actually more important that you are ranked highly on a mobile than on a desktop. One of the reasons Google has put such an emphasis on mobile friendly sites is because mobile searches eclipsed desktop searches a little over a year ago. Today, more than 60 percent of all Google searches are coming from mobile devices.

If your website isn’t mobile friendly, then Google plans to remove you from the mobile search engine entirely. It may not be an immediate occurrence, but through the new update and the resulting shift in ratings, your non-friendly site will eventually plummet. It might survive on page 5 or it could be removed from the rankings altogether, that remains to be seen. What is obvious is that your site is going to suffer on mobile devices because of it.

Since 60 percent of all Google searches are coming from mobile devices, if your website is removed from the mobile listing, then you are losing out on 60 percent of your traffic potential. You absolutely need to stay in the top of the mobile rankings if you want your website to be successful. Even if you don’t primarily target a mobile audience. The statistics are just too large to be ignored.

Is Your Site Mobile Friendly?

Some webmasters have been lucky enough to receive alerts from Google letting them know that their website is not considered mobile friendly. Those sites are going to take the biggest hits when the updates are in full effect. But what about other sites that don’t receive these alerts? Does that mean they are considered mobile friendly? Absolutely not.

You aren’t safe just because Google hasn’t sent you some sort of alert. You need to test your website yourself to see how well it fares on a mobile device. Simply try visiting it from your smartphone. Does it look the same? Do all of the options and buttons fit nicely on the screen? If so, then you’re off to a good start. On the other hand, if you have to zoom, scroll, and move around a lot just to see what’s going on, then you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Get A Professional Opinion.

Looking at your own website is a great way to tell where you stand, but it isn’t a sure-fire method for testing your site. Your best option will be to get a professional opinion from a person or firm that really understands what Google is after. You should consider receiving some assistance from the professionals who work at Digital Assets Factory.